EDITORIAL: BISD coach search was another preventable blunder

Published 4:00 am, Thursday, March 27, 2014

Apparently Groundhog Day comes every week in the Beaumont ISD: Another preventable mistake, another round of stonewalling, another statewide embarrassment.

If coach applicant Plez Atkins told Superintendent Timothy Chargois about the incident that caused him to have his teaching certificate suspended from 2006-09, Chargois should have told the trustees about that red flag before recommending him to be Ozen's new head football coach.

And regardless of whatever Atkins said in his interview, the BISD's search committee should have thoroughly researched his background. In this case, as with so many BISD applicants, a simple request to the Texas Education Agency should have been routine. KBMT's Angel San Juan shouldn't have to reveal what could easily be uncovered by anyone who cared to look.

But trustees didn't know about Atkins' past because Chargois didn't do his job properly, and that's unacceptable.

That would be serious enough in a well-run district, but it's happening in a district wracked by scandal and which could be on the verge of TEA takeover. Instead of making doubly sure to be on his best behavior, Chargois carries on blindly with business-as-usual.

Oh, and the transparency that Chargois promised didn't happen either - to the surprise of few. Instead of standing up and taking the heat, he remains shielded behind spokespersons who demand written questions in advance from the media - which aren't answered anyway!

Should anybody be outraged about all this, or are we too flabbergasted to summon up that emotion anymore? We do know this: If there's any lingering doubt within the TEA about what this district needs, this latest debacle has eliminated it.